


once upon a book

by bughead_trash



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Doctor!Jughead, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 01:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19346635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bughead_trash/pseuds/bughead_trash
Summary: Jughead's schedule for June 18th was simple: buy a book for his teen sister from the local bookstore, go back home and have lunch with his best friend.What happens when a girl with blonde hair and green eyes changes his plans though?orJughead meets the girl of his dreams in an unexpected way.





	once upon a book

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on this site and I'm incredibly nervous to upload it but I think it was time lol. Before we begin, I want to thank my incredible friend Emily (@bugheadsbuswell on instagram) for being my beta and helping me with this whole thing! 
> 
> Enjoy :)

From the moment he walked in this bookshop, he knew that his day was going to be bad. He was supposed to eat breakfast at Pop's with his best friend Archie, but his sister had different plans for him. He would have loved the store any other day, he liked the vintage vibe it had. Dozens of bookshelves were filling most of the shop, leaving a small space at the back in which people enjoyed their coffees while reading something of their liking. Not Jughead though.

 

He was searching for the damn book for over an hour. He knew that he looked stupid but he was too stubborn to ask for help, since no one else seemed to have trouble finding what they were looking for. So he kept searching.

 

Sometimes he was wondering why finding a book had to be so hard. Or more accurately why Jellybean _chose_ the hard way. Thousands of websites were providing the opportunity of worldwide sipping with low cost, but no. His sister insisted that visiting a bookstore was the only acceptable way of buying a book. Deep down, Jughead preferred going to a shop as well, but he would never admit that to JB.

 

He was in the romance section and the book was nowhere to be seen. He was about to text his sister, the reason why he was in this old bookstore in the first place, when he felt someone touching his arm. "Can I help you?"

 

Jughead turned around, noticing a _beautiful_ girl with a warm smile looking curiously at him. Of course he had made a fool of himself by standing at the same spot for what seemed like an eternity. He hesitated at first, not really wanting to disturb anyone just because he was unable to find a book on his own, but he knew that he could use this girl's help.

 

"Yeah, that would actually be nice," Jughead replied with a defeated look on his face.

If she noticed his discomfort, she was polite enough to not say anything.

"For starters, what are you looking for?" For a few seconds he didn't reply to her. Instead he was looking, looking at _her_ and observing her beauty. She had blonde hair, which looked incredibly soft, styled in loose, beachy waves and the most captivating eyes he had ever seen. Everyone used to say that the Joneses had good genes and a unique eye colour but it didn't stand a chance in front of this girl's eyes. Her green eyes were hypnotizing him and he couldn't take his blue ones off hers. Her yellow sundress and sandals were a nice combination, quite suitable for the summer season.

 

"Um, don't you remember the book's title?" her gentle voice brought him back to reality, reminding him that he had actually come here to buy a book for his sister.

 

"I do, I do. I'm looking for ‘The First Last Kiss’ by Ali Harris," Jughead replied, trying to be courteous towards the nice assistant. At that, the blonde girl looked puzzled. For a moment he believed that he had made a mistake, so he asked her right away if something was wrong. "Does that book exist? I swear, that's what-"

 

"No, no. It does," she interrupted him. "I just never thought that a guy like you would enjoy that book. I'm- I'm sorry, that didn't sound very polite," she continued, a blush forming high on her cheeks. Great, she assumed that he was an admirer of romantic books. The genre of book every teenage girl has a habit of reading. His sister owed him a favour after this eventful morning. "It's actually for my sister. I definitely don't like these books. I'm more of a fan of crime novels myself, not romantic stories," he explained, wanting to make her feel more comfortable and forget the mistaken assumption she made.

 

"Oh, that makes more sense. Okay, well, follow me," the girl said, taking steps towards the end of the store. "How old is your sister?"

_She was trying to make small talk. Jughead definitely appreciated that._

"She'll be fifteen by the end of the week. Puberty at its best as you understand,"

"It must be kinda weird to have a younger sibling, huh? You get to experience these kind of things twice. Thank God I'm the younger member of my family," she said. The way she was speaking and the tone of her voice was so calming and soothing, making Jughead want to hear her talking forever.

"JB, my sister, is a cool kid. It's kinda fun watching her survive the difficult years of adolescence. At least most of the time," Jughead replied.

"How did she end up being interested in reading ‘The First Last Kiss’? First time being in love or first heartbreak?"

"Oh God, no. Neither of these. She just finished reading ‘Me Before You’ and she is looking for a similar book to it. According to _Buzzfeed_ ‘The First Last Kiss’ is the perfect choice for her," he joked. The girl suddenly stopped, seeming lost in thought. Jughead was kinda worried, trying to remember if he said anythingthat could have offended her, when she finally spoke. "Has she read ‘After You’ by the same author?" the blonde haired girl asked.

"Um, no, she hadn't mentioned it. I'm the one who usually selects the books she reads and I don't remember buying another Jojo Moyes book," he hesitantly said. _Why was she asking after all?_

"Okay, that's perfect. Do you trust me?" He didn't know why, but the words left his mouth without even thinking "I do".

 

* * *

 

"You're really lucky because this is the last copy. An older woman stopped by yesterday and bought the penultimate book," Jughead was in awe with this girl. Not only she offered to help him, even though the bookstore was full of customers who were probably more easy to assist than him, but she had picked a more suitable book than the one his sister originally was looking for. "I don't know how to thank you-" he was searching for a name tag, any way that he could finally learn this beautiful girl's name but he found nothing. Maybe it dropped somewhere during their wandering inside the shop. She must have sensed his worry, so she introduced herself.

 

"Betty, short for Elizabeth," the girl said, extending her arm towards him Jughead did the same, holding her dainty hand like it was the most precious thing he had ever touched ( _It probably was_ ). Jughead wasn't sure if she behaved like this with the other customers too, but he couldn’t ignore her gesture, he definitely didn't want to.

 

"Well, thank you Betty. I guess your other customers are way more easy to help than me," Jughead told her while being friendly, something that was completely out of character for him.

 

"Customers? Oh. I'm sorry, I’ve given you the wrong impression," Betty explained, "I'm not working here. Just a hopeless bookworm who likes to spend her time in the store her best friend owns, I guess," she continued, clearly embarrassed by the misunderstanding. After her "confession" Jughead felt guilty for bothering her for almost _half an hour_ , while she could have gone home or done something else. At the same time, though, he was kinda flattered. This gorgeous woman decided to spend her time with him, a boy who was too awkward for his liking. "I have way more reasons to thank you now, Betty. You didn't have to waste your time with an idiot without even being paid for your service," Jughead replied, his shyness obvious to her.

Betty grimaced and took a step closer to him. "Could this beautiful idiot tell me his name at least?" she asked, leaving Jughead speechless. Betty had just called _him_ beautiful. He didn't stand a chance in front of her and he knew it. Nevertheless, she found him good looking. Jughead had heard compliments from time to time from other women, that they usually led to regretful one night stands. But never from a woman like her, like Betty.

"If I tell you, you might actually believe that I'm an idiot," Jughead responded, suddenly feeling slightly nervous.

"Try me," she said, a seductive tone dancing on her voice.

"Jughead, Jughead Jones. It's a nickname, don’t ask for the real thing because it's embarrassing" he swallowed, seeing her coming closer to him.

"Jughead. I like it," Betty decided. He noticed her eyes flicking towards his lips occasionally and he had to contain himself from doing something he would regret. He wasn't a forward person and he hardly ever flirted with girls. With Betty, though, he felt different. He didn't want to scare her away, so he waited. Waited for her to make the move. She was about to say something, Jughead could see it on her face, when the (real) assistant drew his attention. "Sir, you're next," he politely said to him, ignoring the fact that he was trying to flirt with the amazing girl in front of him.

"Oh Kevin, he's a friend. One free book wouldn't hurt, right?" Betty suggested. He appreciated the offer, he really did, but he could never accept it. He let them know as well and paid for the book. He was about to leave the store with a polite smile and a nod towards Betty's direction when she once again stopped him near the exit. "Um, I- I hope my recommendation was helpful and you sister will enjoy the book," she awkwardly said, the confidence she had a few minutes ago now lost. "You've already done so much, Betts. I'm sure she'll love it, but I don't know how to repay the favour,"

"I have some ideas," she said, closing the gap between them and pressing her lips to his. At first he was shocked and didn’t return the kiss. Then he leaned even closer to her, their foreheads now touching, getting lost in the kiss. Their _first_ kiss. Her lips were incredibly soft, but the kiss itself was passionate and fiery. His thumb was caressing her cheek and he grabbed her by the waist with his other arm, feeling the need to touch her as much as possible. Her own hands tangled around Jughead's neck, leaving no space between them. He was about to deepen the kiss further, when someone coughed behind them, forcing them to separate from each other. A middle-aged woman with her child passed by them, staring at the couple with a judgmental look, clearly disgusted. Kevin, who was still on the counter, was trying to hold back his laughter. "Betty, you're disturbing my customers. Next time I won't let you in the store, so be careful," Kevin said sarcastically.

Betty mouthed "fuck you" and started laughing, something that helped Jughead feel at ease after their brief moment of PDA (he was not used to public affection, it was completely new to him).

"So, will you let me know if your sister likes the book?" At that point, he understood that their previous moment was now over, either he liked it or not. Betty was waiting for his answer though and he didn't want to disappoint her by being distant and sad. "I'll need your number to do that," he smirked, gaining his long lost confidence.Betty seemed suprised as well, but she clearly favoured this side of him.

 

Jughead was already holding his phone into his hands and with a quick movement Betty took it into her own, typing her number and saving it as ‘Betts’. At the same time, he offered her his card, the one he was using for his job. "Betts, huh?" Jughead asked as soon as he noticed his most recent saved contact. "I like the nickname. Not nearly as much as I like you though, Doctor Jones" she smiled, observing the card he just gave her. His profession was always a plus for his whole image and it helped him have more self confidence. However, Betty had shown her interest way before she found out this detail about him. He liked her even more for that and he wanted to let her know, when his phone chimed, signalling a new message. He was already holding it and with a quick glance he saw his sister's name appearing on the screen.

 

“Are they looking for you?” Betty asked, still standing in front of him. He wished he could spend the rest of his morning or even his day with her. But he had to take care of a lot of things, including his teenage sister. With a sigh, he placed his phone back into his pocket and turned his attention to Betty. “It’s my sister. She just started her summer break and I kinda have to be there for her, although I’m pretty sure she’s more excited to read the book than see me,” he explained with a short laugh. Betty looked a little disappointed with the new information, making him believe that she wanted to spend more time with him just like he did. He couldn’t leave things like this, not after their kiss and nice time together. “I still don’t know how to repay you for putting up with me, Betts,” he continued in an attempt to extend their time together, just a little.

 

“I’ll think of something and I'll let you know, Juggie,” she answered, using a new nickname for him just like he did. She smiled then, a real toothy grin that made him happy to see on her face, and she walked towards her friend, the owner of the bookstore, blowing Jughead a kiss that made him feel hopeful that this wasn’t the last time he would see her. He finally left the store, almost two hours after he first got there, feeling completely different (a little refreshed too). The sun was shining, people were walking happily in the streets probably planning their summer vacation and Jughead was happy for the first time in a long time. A sound which he recognised as his message notification burst his bubble and brought him back to reality. Taking a look at his phone he instantly smiled when he saw a message from Betty.

 

_What do you say about dinner tomorrow at Pop's? You know, as a way to repay me, handsome ;)_

 

Before typing an answer, he sent a quick text to his sister, who was probably waiting for him back at home.

 

_Thank you for pushing me to go to the bookstore little one. I owe you x_

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Comments are highly appreciated, so it would mean a lot to me to read them.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @bugheadsuniverse 
> 
> Thank you for reading!♡


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